Paying for College - The Novel Read online

  ***

  I returned to my dorm room late in the afternoon.

  My roommate sat at his desk with his chair tilted back and feet propped on the desk with the town’s newspaper sprawled out in front of him. He turned his head towards me when I had entered the room, “Did you hear the news?”

  “No. What news?” I said.

  “Someone broke into a garage in downtown and stole five thousand dollars last night.”

  “Really? Show me.”

  He flipped to the front page and showed me the headline.

  I grabbed the paper. Right there in black and white. My little misdeed had made the front-page news in this tiny town.

  I read the story. The police are investigating the break-in at Mike’s Garage last night. The police believed some drug addicts had broken into the garage and stolen the money to support their addiction.

  I returned the newspaper to Drew. I said, “I guess we should be careful. This town’s full of thieving drug addicts.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  I asked, “So what did you do last night?”

  “Me, I went to a frat party last night. What about you?”

  “I went to Mad Murphy’s and drank several beers and played pool.”

  Mike grinned and looked into my eyes, “Isn’t that bar close to Mike’s Garage?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t have a car, so I never been to any repair shops in this town. Why? What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s a poor college student who’s a little short on funds. He needs a little more financial aid to cover his tuition bill.”

  “Yeah, it could be, but I am not even sure where Mike’s Garage is.”

  “So you didn’t see any suspicious characters last night?”

  “Yeah, I saw suspicious characters everywhere last night. The whole bar was filled with them.”

  We burst out laughing.

  “So dude, are you hungry?” Drew asked.

  “Maybe a little.”

  “Then let’s go get some dinner.”

  “Alright.”

  Drew folded the newspaper and tossed it on his cluttered desk. Then we walked to the crowded cafeteria.

  I wasn’t hungry, but, damn, was I thirsty. I think I could drink twenty sodas. Perhaps I should continue with my food experiments since the cafeteria was stocked like laboratory. I strolled to the soda dispenser with eight soda flavors. I grabbed three glasses and added crushed ice. Then I sprayed a little of this and added a little bit of that. Who knows? Perhaps I would create the next great flavored soda to take America by storm. Once that money starts rolling in, I run to the financial aid office, stand in the dragon lady’s door way, drop my trousers, bend over, and tell her which spot to kiss my hairy ass.

  Drew scarfed down some type of mysterious casserole like a bulldozer clearing a forest while I savored my different concoctions. One concoction tasted okay, but I didn’t think it would take America by storm.

  Drew finished the last bite of casserole and dropped his fork onto the tray, “Let’s go.”

  We rose and slid our trays through the narrow window to the kitchen and headed outside. Walking across the main street that cut through campus with bumper-to-bumper traffic, I noticed an approaching police car with two officers sitting in the front.

  My sensitive heart started racing while beads of perspiration formed on my forehead.

  The cop car began slowing down.

  We walked between cars and made it to the other side of the busy street.

  The cop car stopped next to us. Then the driver’s window rolled down. “Excuse me,” the officer sitting on the passenger side said.

  I thought I swallowed my tongue, as my words remained stuck in my mouth like peanut butter. I started thinking: have I been caught? Will I finish my college degree behind bars? Will I work at the prison library and educate the state’s criminals?

  Drew and I turned to face the officer.

  The police officer repeated, “Excuse me.”

  Drew said, “Yes sir.” Then he started walking towards the police car. I trailed behind him, hoping I would not trip and fall down and reveal my guilt.

  “Do you know the way to Halverson Hall?”

  “Yes, sir,” Drew said. Then Drew pointed in the direction we had come from, “It’s the old dormitory over there on the other side of those tall oak trees.”

  The cop nodded his head slightly. The window rolled up, and the cop car pulled away.

  Drew turned to look at me, “What’s wrong dude? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “No way.”

  “Let me guess, you have outstanding traffic tickets, and the state has suspended your right to drive?’

  “Of course not. I never owned a car. Come on. Let’s go.”

  “I’m just saying. You’re acting weird.”